Top Departing #7: Derek Selvig

With the throes of the offseason all around us, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the 20 best players that are departing from the Big Sky, either due to graduating, declaring for the draft, or transferring.

Often it is a slight to say that a 7-footer plays like a guard, so I have to clarify when I say this... I mean this next sentence as a compliment. Derek Selvig of Montana is a guard stuck in a 7-footer's body.

It is not uncommon for a big man to want to take a lot of threes, or dribble too much. Usually though, this is a problem for the offense because that big man is not a good shooter, and does not have good ballhandling skills. That was not the case for Selvig throughout his career. Though it often frustrated Montana fans throughout his career, Selvig was at his best offensively when he was on the perimeter, and it made him a difficult matchup problem for the defense.

Last season, he shot 44% from downtown, and the season before he shot 39%. In comparison, shot 38% from twos last year and 42% the year before... his skillset was simply not meant to play down low, and he was less effective when he tried to. Going along with the perimeter skills, he was a very good ballhandler and one of the best passers in the conference. He posted strong assist rates, especially for a big man. Sometimes people will temper praise by saying things like, "He is a good passer for a big man." In Selvig's case, I stop with, "He is a good passer."

Of course, he did have to pick up some of the slack defensively after the graduation of Brian Qvale, and he did well with that. He upped his rebounding and block numbers last year, which was a huge help for a Montana team that was very thin in the frontcourt.

Derek Selvig's career maybe wasn't what some Montana fans wanted, and he didn't develop a great inside game... but he was very good at what he did. He was a guard trapped in a big man's body, which worked for him because he was such a good ballhandler, shooter, and passer. He will be missed by the Grizzlies.

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Wisconsin Tops Montana in NCAA Tournament

The difference between the Big Sky and Big Ten was never more evident than it was on Thursday. Montana came into the game playing about as well as you could play, having won 14 straight games and winning the Big Sky, but they ran into a Badgers buzzsaw in the first round.

Montana kept things interesting early, but Wisconsin began to pull away late in the first half, and continued after Montana came out a bit listless after the break. By the time things were over, Wisconsin was the winner, 73-49. They were simply the far superior team on this day, and showed it in every aspect of the game.

The thought was that Montana could make things very interesting if they could hold the Badgers in check from the outside, where they get a lot of their offense. However, that didn't happen, as Wisconsin made six of their first nine threes, and finished 10-19 from the field. Simply put, with their defense, they are tough for anyone to beat when they shoot the ball that well.

As mentioned, defensively Wisconsin was outstanding, using their signature man-to-man to shut down the Grizzlies. Montana made just 38% of their shots, and were just 3/9 from downtown. That they only got nine three-point attempts despite trailing most of the game is a testament to the Badgers, who excel in not allowing their opponents to get a lot of good looks from the outside.

In his final collegiate game, Art Steward was their star, with 18 points, as he kept them in it early. Their other senior starter, Derek Selvig also played well in the first half, keeping the Grizzlies within shooting distance. But it was Montana's offensive stars that never got going. Will Cherry was just 3/14, and picking up his second foul in the first half was killer. Kareem Jamar was 3/8 for six points, and Mathias Ward was 1/5 for five points. For a team without much depth, they couldn't have their stars struggle, but that is what happened.

The season ends in disappointment for Montana, but it was still a successful year. They won the outright conference championship for the first time in a long time, and showed by the end of the year that they were the class of the conference. They will finish with a record of 25-7, and have the pieces in place to be even better next year. They simply ran into a better team today.

But we will be hearing much more about Montana in the future.

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Montana Roster Overview

For anyone looking for information on Montana, definitely a sleeper in the NCAA Tournament as they take on Wisconsin. A brief look at the players that make Montana a potentially dangerous 13 seed.

Starters:

Will Cherry (JR) - He is the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Sky, and arguably one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. He takes great pride in his defense, and is a master at getting steals (he should finish his career at the Big Sky career steals leader). Offensively, he has an improving outside shot, and has good explosion on his drives. He can get at least a decent look almost whenever he wants. He tends to make big plays at the biggest moments, as he definitely showed down the stretch. He is the team leader, and is a very emotional player, which rubs off on everyone else.

Kareem Jamar (SO) - Jamar has taken a big step forward this year, and the argument could be made that he, and not Cherry, is the Grizzlies best player. He was great in the championship against Weber State, and finished as the Grizzlies second leading scorer, second leading rebounder, and leader in assists. He shoots 48% from the field, including 45% from three-point range. He is a varied offensive player that can shoot from the outside, drive, or post up smaller guards. He is also the best passer on the team. He has an extremely bright future.

Art Stewart (SR) - He is the consummate glue guy who does a little bit of everything. Most of all, he adds a lot of toughness to the team. He is a very good defender, and does all of the little things for Montana. Offensively, he picks his spots well, as he very efficiently averaged 9.2 PPG. He can take it inside, and his outside shot is just good enough to keep people honest.

Mathias Ward (JR) - His offensive development has been a revelation this year. He was a solid spot-up shooter in the frontcourt last year, but this year he has become one of the best offensive weapons, as he showed in the championship. His midrange game is probably better than anyone else in the conference, and he shot 55% from two this year. He also has enough range to hit a three. He is not a great rebounder or defender, but he does just enough that he is not a big liability in those areas.

Derek Selvig (SR) - He is possibly the most unique center in America. He is one of the best passing big men I have ever seen, and has very good ballhandling skills. His scoring is down this year, but he has instead focused on the glass and interior defense, where he made big strides this season. Offensively, he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. He is a very good three-point shooter, off the drive, posting up, or finding the open man. His skill set will be tough for Wisconsin to gameplan for.

Bench:
Shawn Stockton (SR) - They don't rely much on their bench (they played their starters all 20 minutes in the second half of the conference championship), but when they do Stockton is usually the guy that enters first. With 15.6 minutes per game that was more than anyone else off the bench. He has struggled with his outside shot this year, making just 13 of his 54 threes. He is more of a combo guard because he is not a natural 1, but Tinkle likes him because he brings the attitude of a senior to the floor.

Keron DeShields (FR) - They have three freshmen wing guards, but DeSheilds has been getting the most time lately (Kevin Henderson and Jordan Gregory are the others). He has a lot of potential on the offensive end, but gets a little too eager at times, like freshmen are want to do.

Mike Weisner (FR) - The redshirt freshman is their first big man off the bench, even though he has the body of a small forward. He had some big moments against Weber State in the regular season finale, and flashed some solid potential. He has a nice outside shot (though he has only made 5 threes this year), and is a good passer.

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Montana Is Going Dancing

Congratulations to the Montana Grizzlies. After beating Weber State 85-66 in the Big Sky title game, they will be headed to the NCAA Tournament.

I thought that if they won, they would do it because they are the best defensive team in the conference. Instead, they did it by being almost literally unstoppable offensively in the second half.

Weber State led 36-31 at the break, but it was all Montana in the second half, as they outscored the Wildcats 54-30 after the intermission. In the second half, they simply could not be stopped. They were 19/32 from the field in the second half, including 8/12 from downtown.

Mathias Ward started out the half by giving them big shot after big shot. He was firing on all cylinders, and finished with 23 points on 10/16 shooting. Offensively he is one of the most diverse big men in the conference, and he showed it in this one. He also had eight rebounds.

From there, it was Kareem Jamar that took over offensively. He seemed to hit from everywhere on the court... at one point the announcer said Damian Lillard just looked over at Randy Rahe and shook his head. Sometimes, there is not much that you can do. Jamar finished with 23 points (on 9/12 FG, 5/8 3PT) and seven assists. He was fantastic all tournament long and was the Big Sky Conference Tournament MVP. Well deserved.

All other starters were in double figures for the Griz. Will Cherry finished with 13 points and six assists. Derek Selvig had 16 points, including 13 in the first half when he kept the Grizzlies in it. Art Steward had 10 points and seven rebounds. The bench played only nine minutes combined, as it was the starters that carried the day.

For Weber State, it's a tough way to go out. Damian Lillard played great for most of the night (had one stretch where he was a bit too passive) and finished with 29 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists. However, he just didn't get a lot of help. Byron Fulton had ten points, and Kyle Tresnak had 12, but nobody else was in double figures. It was the same story for WSU offensively as last week... they simply didn't look like they knew what to do for most of the night against the Montana zone. They stopped being aggressive, and jacked up too many threes. It worked in the second half, but they couldn't keep it going.

Montana has won 14 straight games, and 20 of their last 21. They will head to the tournament as hot as any team in the country. They are currently projected by most pundits as a 15 seed, and I would not want to see them in my bracket if I was a 2 seed. They have the type of balanced offense and stout defense that could make them a candidate to pull a shocker in the NCAA Tournament.

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Weber State vs Montana Round III Preview

Well, this is the matchup that we have all been waiting for in the Big Sky. Weber State and Montana were one and two in the Big Sky before the season began, have held those two spots all year long, and so it is only fitting that they will meet on Wednesday night to decide the Big Sky champion. They split their regular season meetings, and so this will be a true rubber match for all the marbles. It should be fantastic. Let's preview it.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Montana won the Big Sky regular season title, and as a result the deciding game will be in Missoula. They finished 15-1 in the regular season in conference, and 24-6 overall, winners of 13 straight and 19 of 20. Not many teams are hotter than them in the country. Weber State finished 14-2 in the Big Sky, becoming the first team in conference history to have only two losses and not win the conference outright. They are 24-5, and have merely won 18 of 20. As they say, it's on.

In the semifinals, Weber State was trailing for 35 minutes, as Portland State gave them all they could handle before winning 69-63. For Montana, they bested them again... Eastern Washington was controlling the game for 38 minutes before they pulled away for the 74-66 win. Neither team had the chance to rest easy before this one.

WHAT WEBER STATE DOES WELL
Obviously they are led by Damian Lillard, one of the best players in the country. He sets the tone for them. They shoot the ball very well normally, as they were almost 38% from downtown this year. They led the country in FT percentage, so you certainly do not want to be trailing them late. Also led by Lillard is the fact that they do not turn the ball over often... just a 15.9 TO Rate, sixth best in the country.

Over the course of the year they have gotten some solid depth. Freshman Gelaun Wheelwright has become a playmaker off the bench, and that was never more evident than in the semifinals against Portland State, where he had 15 points. Byron Fulton is a diversified offensive player, who can take you down on the block, but also shoots 44% from downtown. They will have the edge on depth over the Grizzlies.

WHAT MONTANA DOES WELL
As always under Wayne Tinkle, they are a very good defensive ballclub. Their DRtg is 92.3, which is 29th in the nation even though the Big Sky was a pretty efficient offensive league. They are led here by Will Cherry, the best defensive player in the conference and one of the best perimeter defenders in America. He can get a steal at anytime and convert it to an easy two points. Art Steward is a guy at the 3 spot that is tough as nails - it will be fun watching him match up with Kyle Bullinger.

Offensively, the Grizzlies are very balanced. Five guys score at least 8.8 PPG (and Derek Selvig is the guy that scores that much... he averaged double figures last year). Will Cherry averages 16.1, but Kareem Jamar is also very dynamic in the backcourt. Cherry, Jamar, and Selvig are all above average passers, meaning you always have to account for your man when you are guarding the Grizzlies. This is one of Tinkle's best offensive teams.

WHAT WEBER STATE DOESN'T DO WELL
They have shown themselves to be surprisingly susceptible to zone defenses, as they really struggled in the last meeting with Montana, and saw a lot of it against Portland State as well. They are sometimes content to just jack up threes rather than taking the ball aggressively to the basket, and this can cause their offense to lack flow. You can bet that they will see a lot of zone defense on Wednesday night.

Another thing is that they are not susceptible to being outrebounded. Chehales Tapscott had a big day on the offensive glass against them, and that will happen. Their best big man (Kyle Tresnak) is a very average rebounder, so it's important that guys like Lillard hit the glass hard. Kyle Bullinger is a very good rebounder out of the SF spot, but they have been going small and putting in Wheelwright for him at times. Bullinger had a nasty elbow injury early in the season, and doesn't seem to quite be the same player that he was before the injury.

WHAT MONTANA DOESN'T DO WELL
They don't have a lot of depth. After their starting five, things get spotty.  Shawn Stockton is their first backcourt sub, but he is very limited. Mike Weisner is probably their first frontcourt sub, but he is a freshman that has not gotten a lot of minutes this year. As The Upset Blog noted on Twitter tonight, their starters played a lot of minutes Tuesday night. Cherry played 40, Selvig 37, Jamar and Ward with 35, and Steward with 31. Jamar was battling leg cramps for much of the night, and Cherry took a very hard spill late in the game. They will be a bit beat up heading into the championship.

Another thing is that even though their offense is good, they are not necessarily explosive. They rely on their defense a lot of times for offensive runs, which might not work as well against a team that doesn't turn it over a lot. They shoot the three ball well, but they don't shoot a lot of them. They are solid at getting to the line, but not outstanding. Their offense is just very good... but it has not often been called great this year.

WHO WINS
In the first meeting between these teams, Weber State won by 16 at home, really taking it to Montana. In the last meeting, the Grizzlies won by 15, thanks to a great defensive effort by them and a passive offensive effort by Weber State. This game will take place in Missoula, which is one factor counting in Montana's favor.

However, I just have a feeling that Damian Lillard and Weber State are going to pull something off. Both WSU and Montana looked sluggish early in their semifinal games, but both began to play well late in the game, so rust will not be a factor. Weber State will be helped by that extra depth, which is a big factor when playing your second game in as many nights.

In their last meeting, Montana controlled the game from the middle of the first half on, and you got the sense watching the game that Weber State couldn't play much worse. Still, they only trailed by five late in the second half, and it was a competitive game for most of it. Montana won because Weber State couldn't do much against the press and zone, but I think they started to figure that out by the end of the PSU game.

Finally, Weber State still has a bad taste in their mouth from a couple of years ago. You remember the game. Big Sky tournament final in Ogden, UT. Weber State led Montana by 20 at halftime, and looked to be cruising to the NCAA tournament. Then Anthony Johnson happened. He scored 34 in the second half (40 for the game), as Montana came back for a surreal 66-65 victory. Damian Lillard was the leading scorer for the Wildcats that game, and the Big Sky MVP that season. Kyle Bullinger was in the starting lineup. Those guys remember that game, and the feeling it left them with. I don't think they will let another opportunity slip through their fingers.

WEBER STATE 71, MONTANA 69

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Weber State, Montana Remain Tied at Top

We are moving closer to the Big Sky dream scenario of a regular season finale featuring 14-1 Weber State traveling to take on 14-1 Montana, as both teams took care of business on Saturday night.

Weber State hosted Eastern Washington, and won a hard-fought contest 84-75 over an Eagles team that could have really used the win. It was the type of game that showed why Eastern Washington could be a dangerous team in the Big Sky tourney if they make it.

Eastern Washington stayed in it despite a poor night from Collin Chiverton, who finished with just seven points. He found time to fire up 13 shots in just 17 minutes, missing 11 of them. Cliff Colimon led the team with 20 points, but he turned it over 7 times. Parker Kelly continued his ascent up the depth chart, as he may have been the best player for them on this night, finishing with 17 points on 10 shots (including 5/8 from downtown). The freshman walk-on has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the conference.

The Wildcats did not get a great shooting night out of Damian Lillard (4/13) but he found different ways to contribute. He got got to the line 12 times (making them all), so he finished with a game-high 22 points. He also had six rebounds and four assists. Continuing their run of nice balance, four other guys were in double figures, led by Byron Fulton's 16 points (and 9 rebounds).

Weber State is now 20-4 on the year. EWU sits at 5-7 in the Big Sky, just a half-game ahead of Northern Colorado, who they host on Wednesday night.

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In the other game, it looked like Montana was in serious trouble against Sacramento State, but they battled back to win 67-58 to finish 7-1 on the road (their best since the mid 1970s). It was their eight straight win and 14 out of 15, stopping Sacramento State's streak of four straight wins.

The Hornets led 32-27 early in the second half, before the Grizzlies went on a 16-2 run helped by their 1-2-2 press, the same thing that was so instrumental in beating Northern Colorado. Eventually, Montana built the lead to 49-37 (helped by a Brian Katz technical), before the Hornets went on a 7-0 run to cut the gap to five. However, just when it looked like they were back in it, they made the kind of mistake that costs team's ballgames.

Konner Veteto swatted a Derek Selvig shot, then taunted Selvig, drawing a technical. As it turned out, that was all she wrote for the Hornets. Montana made the free throws and drained a three, and the lead was never lower than eight the rest of the day. Sacramento State fans are not happy with the refs, but I can't comment too much on that since I did not see enough of the early second half where many of the complaints come from. But it seems to me that Sac State was undone more by lack of composure, both with the Grizzlies press and with frustration by the refs.

Sac State did a nice job on Will Cherry (who still had 17 points) and Kareem Jamar, but it was the seniors that led Montana. Derek Selvig had 14 and 14, and Art Steward had 16 and 8.

The Griz improve to 19-6, and will finish out the regular season at home. The Hornets drop to 4-9 in the Big Sky, and every game is must-win from here on out. Even one more loss could end their chances of making the Big Sky tournament.

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Montana Tops Northern Colorado Behind Will Cherry's Defense

Here were my halftime thoughts from the game.

The last time Montana came to Greeley, they lost the Big Sky conference championship to the Bears, who celebrated their first conference crown.

That seems like so long ago, as Montana erased some of those bad memories en route to a 75-68 victory. The win moves Montana to 11-1 in the Big Sky, while Northern Colorado falls to 4-8.

The biggest key for Montana winning the game was Will Cherry. He was, quite simply, phenomenal. If there was any doubt that he was the best defensive player in the Big Sky, he erased that in this game.

As the head man on a 1-3-1 three quarters court press, Cherry seemed to be everywhere. He finished with 30 points and 8 steals (one off his career record on the night), also chipping in 4 assists and 4 rebounds. He had the look of a man that was not going to let them lose, as he was the leader both offensively and defensively.

The turnovers were really the difference in the game. Northern Colorado shot almost 59% from the floor, and played solid halfcourt defense. However, Montana forced them into 27 turnovers, and scored 36 points off those turnovers (compared to 6 points off turnovers for the Bears).

"We were responsible for half of their points," UNC coach BJ Hill said. "They obviously cranked up the pressure, but it was more a lack of our toughness both mentally and physically than something they did."

At times, UNC struggled to get the ball past half court, and when they did, they had significantly less time to run their offense. Their young guards were just no match in this one for the Grizzlies' pressure defense.

Kareem Jamar and Derek Selvig had 12 points apiece for Montana. Kevin Henderson also contributed solid minutes, and he was their best bench player. He is athletic and will be a force defensively, even if he can only bring it in spurts right now. Next season, a Cherry/Jamar/Henderson trio is going to be a nightmare for opposing offenses.

Northern Colorado at times looked better than they have all year, which has to be a little bit encouraging for BJ Hill. They fell behind early thanks to the barrage of threes from Montana, but came right back and led by as many as 7 in the second half. Four guys were in double figures, including Mike Proctor with 18. In the end, it just wasn't enough.

Cherry now moves into the top 10 in career for Big Sky steals, which is scary since he has another year of eligibility left. With Weber State beating Northern Arizona, we are one step closer to the dream scenario of two 14-1 teams meeting on the final day of the regular season.

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Montana Rolls Over Idaho State

It is not a surprise that Montana beat Idaho State. I predicted them to win, and they are the better team. However, it is a surprise that they beat them by 36, particularly when the Bengals came into the game on as good of a roll as anyone in the Big Sky.

Simply put, Montana dominated in all facets of this game. It started with their defense, where the Grizzlies gave another signature performance. They held ISU to 24.6% shooting from the field, allowing just 40 points in the 76-40 victory. Kenny McGowen had been playing as well as anyone, but Will Cherry showed why he is the best defensive player in the conference, holding McGowen to 9 points. Derek Selvig contributed with a career-high six blocks.

The Grizzlies didn't have a lot of problems on offense either. Cherry was 8/10 from the field for 21 points, continuing his climb up the Montana record books (he is now 24th career scoring for Montana). Art Steward had 14 and Kareem Jamar had 13, each guy also rebounding the ball well. Selvig chipped in 8 assists, and Cherry called him "the best passer on our team."

Montana moves again into a tie with Weber State at 10-1, and they have at least one believer that they are the class of the conference in ISU coach Deane Martin:

"I told them, I think one through five they're the best team in the league, there's no question," Martin said. "Weber State might have a little more depth, but one through five I'd take what (Montana) has out there."

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Mathias Ward Shines As Montana Downs Eastern Washington

If you would have told Montana fans before the game that Derek Selvig would be held scoreless and Kareem Jamar would score 9 points on 2/10 shooting, I'm not sure many of them would have thought they could have won the game.

However, that is exactly what happened, thanks to a career day from Mathias Ward. He scored 28 points on 9/11 shooting (becoming the conference leader in FG%) and was 10/13 from the line. He has a great touch from the field, and feasted on EWU's lack of big men (especially since they get in foul trouble so often).

"It definitely makes a difference when you can be the bigger person in the matchup, you can use angles and use your strength more than with other big guys," Ward said. "It was a lot of different things - my teammates were looking to get me the ball, I hit a couple of jump shots, I got a couple of easy ones, so I kind of got it rolling."

The other star was Will Cherry, who had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also got the line 13 times.

For Eastern Washington, it was some of the same problems we have seen from them throughout the year. First, they hacked the Grizzlies all night, committing 26 fouls and sending Montana to the line for 37 FT attempts. It is very difficult to win when you consistently put other teams on the line as much as they do. One EWU message board compiled the stat that they have committed 92 more fouls than their opponents, resulting in 182 more FT attempts. After 14 games that is just unreal.

They also struggle with ball movement. Collin Chiverton can be a ball stopper, as he has 9 assists in 14 games (but takes a higher percentage of his team's shots than anyone else in America). EWU had 7 assists on 25 baskets in this game, ruining a great performance by Cliff Colimon.

At the end of the day, Montana's pick as #2 seems justified, as they improve to 2-0 with a quality BSC win. At the same time, EWU at #3 seems about right too, as they led at half and played the Griz tough. These are two quality teams.

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Montana Holds Court Over Portland State

In the other Big Sky conference game of the day, the road team got off to a great start to secure the victory. Not in this one. Here it was Montana that jumped out to an early 10 point lead, and the game was never really in doubt after that.

Montana shot 58% in the first half (including 7/9 from beyond the arc), which enabled them to get a 19 point lead going into the break. Portland State had a couple solid runs in the second half to cut the deficit down a bit, but they never really made it too interesting.

Kareem Jamar led the team with 17 points, also contributing 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He had a couple of great looks that led the easy baskets for the Griz, and he is really growing to be a great playmaker for them. The announcers of the game were heaping a lot of praise on Jamar near the end of the game, and it was hard to argue with anything. He is very talented offensively, and very advanced for being a sophomore.

Will Cherry also played well, with 15 points, including knocking down some outside shots, which is huge for him. He also had the play of the day... on a fast break, he threw up a beautiful alley oop that was completed by Art Steward (who also had 15) for an athletic finish (highlights can be found here). Cherry had a cramp later in the game, but should be fine for Friday. Cherry opposing Lateef McMullan (0/7, 0 points) was a huge mismatch in this game.

Derek Selvig and Eric Hutchison did not contribute a bunch offensively, but they were very sound defensively against a strong offensive frontcourt of PSU. In particular they played outstanding defense against Nate Lozeau.

It will not be a game Lozeau will want to remember. Coming into the day he was shooting 64%, but he was just 1/8 from the floor for 4 points and 3 rebounds, while also battling foul trouble. Chehales Tapscott didn't do much better offensively with 7 points, but he did have 12 rebounds and is just very active on the glass. Renado Parker had another great effort (16 points, 8 rebounds), and is one heck of a player down low, but it was not enough.

The bright spot for PSU was Charles Odum, who had a very efficient 27 points, taking only 13 shots. He got to the line well, and got into the lane for some easy shots. He is really an excellent player, though some of the points did come in garbage time.

Montana came out firing and played great, setting up an early season game against Eastern Washington to determine who will be #2 in the perception of those following the league. Meanwhile, PSU falls to 0-7 on the road this year, and has to turn around in 2 days to take on Montana State. It is a win they could definitely use.

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Damian Lillard is the Big Sky POW (Again)

It is deja vu all over again... Damian Lillard is the Big Sky Player of the Week for the third time this season.

Lillard, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior from Oakland, Calif., averaged 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game as the Wildcats earned wins over Mayville State and Utah of the Pac-12 Conference.

Other candidates were - Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington), Kenny McGowen (Idaho State), Derek Selvig (Montana), Durrell Norman (Northern Arizona), Tevin Svihovec (Northern Colorado), Chehales Tapscott (Portland State), and John Dickson (Sacramento State).

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Montana Takes Down Utah Valley

Montana is a team that will head into the holidays on a high note. Thanks to a nice second half run, they took down Utah Valley 65-52 to improve to 7-5 in non-conference play.

Mathias Ward and Kareem Jamar had 15 apiece for the Grizzlies, but Derek Selvig was their most efficient player. He had 13 points (on 4/6 shooting) to go along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Last year Selvig was a great multi-dimensional player, but he has struggled all-around this season.

Selvig is a key piece for the Grizzlies, but his three-point shooting and assists have been way down this season. He was 4/5 from downtown in this one, so hopefully that is a step in the right direction for them. When he is playing his best, Montana is arguably the best team in the conference.

For Montana, an up-and-down non-conference season ends on a 2-game winning streak, and they will come out of the break with two huge home games, against Eastern Washington and Portland State (who I think are the third and fourth best teams in the Big Sky). It will be a fun beginning to conference play for the Griz.

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Other Saturday Big Sky Action

We looked at NAU's stunner over Arizona State, but a brief look at the other action in the Big Sky yesterday.

Northern Colorado went to Marquette and predictably lost 93-72, but there were a couple of bright spots for the Bears. First was guard sophomore Tate Unruh, who scored a career high 25 points to lead the team. He was 10/18 from the floor and hit five from downtown, showing his excellent shooting range. Early in the year it looked like Paul Garnica was morphing into "The Guy" for the Bears, but Unruh has really come on. He has one of the purest strokes in the conference, and is becoming a heck of a player for UNC.

Another bright spot was freshman Tim Huskisson, who continued his strong play. I ranked him as the 4th best freshmen in the conference so far, but he is trying to move up the list. He scored 17 points in 20 minutes for the Bears (including 10/11 from the line), and is one of the big reasons why the future is bright for the Bears even with their struggles this season.

UNC lost to Marquette, but that is an understandable loss. Marquette is a real good team and will win a lot of games. But BJ Hill still has to be happy with a few bright spots coming from this game, most notably Unruh and Huskisson.

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The other Big Sky game on Saturday featured Montana taking on Portland. The Grizzlies hadn't played since their loss to Nevada, but they came out with fresh legs in this one, winning 80-65 on the road. The big thing was that the Grizzlies three best guys all came to play in this game.

Derek Selvig had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in this game, showing a nice inside game both on the glass and defensively, which is huge for this team. No matter how many points he scores, if he can rebound and be a factor down low defensively, it will be successful for him. Will Cherry did not shoot the ball particularly well, but he had a nice all-around impact. He finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

The other star is Kareem Jamar, who finished with 15 points and 7 assists. He has really become a great playmaker for them, and in my mind is the biggest reason the Grizzlies probably should still be seen as the second best team in the Big Sky. The Grizzlies made 9 threes compared to 2 for the Pilots, and got 20 more attempts from the FT line, which was the difference in this one.

Any other thoughts on these two games?

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Montana Loses Tough One to San Francisco

I don't know Wayne Tinkle, have never met the man. But based on hearing him speak and watching him on the sidelines, I have to imagine he is getting very frustrated with the inconsistency of the Grizzlies this season.

After beating Long Beach State, they collapsed at the end of the game in a 65-62 loss to San Francisco. The Grizzlies trailed by 6 at the half, but came out strong in the second half. They led 59-53 after an Art Steward layup with 4 minutes remaining, but the Dons went on a 12-3 run to end the game, stunning the home crowd.

San Francisco got some huge plays down the stretch, and there were three that really were the difference. First, with Montana up 62-59, San Fran sophomore PG Cody Doolin hit an open three with 1:40 to play. On the ensuing possession, with the shot clock winding down, Doolin simply beat Shawn Stockton off the dribble, hitting a shot in the lane to put the Dons up.

The last big play... after a timeout, the Grizzlies gave the ball to Will Cherry to take to the lane, and it looked like he was going to get an easy layup for the tie. Suddenly, the Dons big man Cole Dickserson came from the weak side for a huge block, and that was essentially the game.

Montana got a desparation three-point attempt from Derek Selvig as time expired, but it wasn't even close.

For Montana, senior Art Steward was the star, notching a double-double with 17 and 10. Other than him, the big guns struggled. Will Cherry had 5 points and 3 assists, Kareem Jamar had 12 points, and Derek Selvig had 6 points. Montana needs 40 points per game from these guys.

Montana will not have time to sit and sulk about this one, as they travel to Oregon State for a game on Sunday. They have the team capable of winning that game. However, they need to be more assertive offensively, and their stars need to make plays. If not, there will be a lot more nights like this one.

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Montana Beats Long Beach State 73-71

Photo from The Missoulian

I will get to more on the Thanksgiving holiday soon, but for now I just wanted to focus on the biggest game in the Big Sky over the break - Montana beating Long Beach State 73-71 in Missoula.

Long Beach State was a team that was a getting a lot of respect on national blogs like CBS, as well as being ranked #8 in the Mid-Major top 25. However, I knew Montana had the talent to beat them, and they showed it on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies admittedly had no answer for TJ Robinson, but the key was that they slowed down Casper Ware, who had an inefficient 15 points. Ware is the best player in the Big West, and the Griz should be commended for their work on him. It was a team effort too, as Will Cherry was plagued by some foul trouble and was only able to play 27 minutes (though Cherry did score 13 points, all in the second half).

The biggest key other than defense on Ware was that the big guys stepped up. Here are the lines for the four bigs:

Derek Selvig - 25 mins, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Billy Reader - 21 mins, 8 points, 2 rebounds
Mathias Ward - 21 mins, 9 points, 8 rebounds
Eric Hutchison - 11 mins, 5 points, 2 rebounds

Anytime Montana can get 36 points and 18 rebounds from their PF/C spots, they are going to be extremely difficult to beat. It was a very encouraging effort from all those guys.

Of course, Montana is still not getting much respect for the win (probably in part because they lost at North Dakota on Wednesday -- but a lot of teams are going to lose to UND this year, they have a really solid team). From CBS:

Long Beach State has its opportunities against big boys, but it can't blow the games like it did against Montana, falling 73-71. Louisville is next.

No talk on how the Grizzlies forced Casper Ware into 4/12 shooting with their typical stifling defense, but talk of the 49ers "blowing the game." As if the Big Sky needed more locker room material, that certainly works.

Huge win for Montana and the Big Sky as a whole.

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Montana Not Getting A Lot of Respect

If you follow mid-major college basketball, you know that Long Beach State has been getting a lot of publicity following their victory over Pittsburgh last week. They are 8th in the Mid-Major Top 25, for instance.

Another place that they are getting publicity is on CBS Sports, the premier college basketball blog on the web, who talked Tuesday  about how the 49ers are going to be coming up on a tough stretch.

Long Beach got Pittsburgh in the Peterson Events Center last week. One more could put the 49ers in position for an at-large bid -- pending they roll through the Big West, but don't win the league tourney. Next up is Boise State at home, tonight, then a road contest at Montana -- before The Stretch.

It starts at Louisville on Nov. 28. Then comes BYU, followed by trips to Kansas (12-6) and North Carolina (12-10) before opening with Xavier on Dec. 22 in the Diamond Head Classic.

I can only assume that LBSU is not taking a trip to Montana as lightly as a lot of other people are, because Montana absolutely can beat them. Will Cherry will make it his goal to put the lockdown on Casper Ware, and the offense will be looking a bit better with Derek Selvig back and healthier.

The Grizzlies should be well aware of what a win like this would mean, because LBSU is a very talented team that seems like it will be in the mix for a Tourney berth. This game could be a nice boost for Montana's resume and national profile, in large part because LBSU has a lot of hype surrounding them early on this season.

If you just look at the schedule, Long Beach State at Montana at Saturday is not one of the biggest games of the day, and it doesn't necessarily jump out at you, but it is surely one of the best opportunities the Big Sky has for a marquee win, and should be a really exciting game. All Big Sky fans should be rooting for Montana on Saturday, because it will be a great chance to earn some respect nation-wide.

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Derek Selvig Returns As Montana Beats San Diego

Montana took down San Diego for a nice road victory on Sunday, but the biggest story for them was the return of big man Derek Selvig.

In Montana's 73-60 victory, Selvig did not start, but he played 23 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Selvig opened things up a bit for the Griz, who had their best offensive output of the season. Montana shot a sizzling 60% from the field.

Kareem Jamar was the high scorer with 14, including 4/4 from beyond the arc. He also had 5 assists and 5 rebounds. They also got 13 points from Will Cherry, but he did turn the ball over 7 times. The big key was contributions from the big men. Billy Reader had the best game of his young career, with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Mathias Ward contributed 10 points as well.

If Montana can consistently get efforts like that from the big men, they are a serious threat to Weber State. Suddenly, the 1 point victory over Great Falls is forgotten, and the Griz are looking like one of the top 2 teams in the Big Sky again.

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Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado gave a nice effort, losing 78-69 against Northern Iowa, but it just wasn't enough.

The star of the game for the Bears was guard Paul Garnica, who finished with a career high 22 points. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Garnica shot 6/9 from downtown, and is slowly morphing into their go-to guy. Tate Unruh was the only other guy in double figures, as he had 12 points. The Bears were undone by their 25 turnovers, as well as lack of production up front. Five Panthers scored in double figures.

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Montana Beats Idaho, Some Questions Still Remain

Montana took down Idaho 57-52 on Thursday night, mostly on the back of an outstanding game by junior PG Will Cherry.

His 24 points certainly didn't hurt. The career-high 11 rebounds - from a 6-foot-1 point guard - were crucial. His 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range certainly got the crowd of 2,684 fired up against the Grizzlies' former Big Sky Conference rival.

And the six points Cherry limited the Vandals' Deremy Geiger to - 10 below his team-best average - certainly looked big after the Griz survived a near second-half collapse.

After struggling a bit in the first two games of the year, Cherry played like the First-Team Big Sky player that he is against the Vandals. His 24 points and 11 rebounds were game highs, and the rebounds were especially important for a team that struggled rebounding earlier this season. He also led the team with 4 assists and 2 steals, and played outstanding defense on Idaho G Deremy Geigel. All in all, it is far to say he carried the Grizzlies.

Cherry needed to carry them on this game, because once again the frontcourt did not produce. Still without Derek Selvig, here is the stat line for the Grizzlies three bigs (Mathias Ward, Billy Reader, Eric Hutchison): 64 minutes, 9 points, 8 rebounds, 11 fouls. That is simply not going to get it done. Even if they do not provide a lot of offensive pop (which Selvig will help provide when he is back), they need to contribute rebounding the basketball, where they have not been good. Mathias Ward had 1 rebound in 32 minutes.

Montana is 3-1 but there is certainly a lot of work to be done to get to where they want to be. Wiith games at San Diego on Sunday, and then a trip to North Dakota and home date against Long Beach State next week, they quickly have a chance to pick up some nice wins. According to Griz Basketball, "Selvig was not in uniform Thursday, but he was out of the boot that he’s been wearing since spraining his left ankle in an exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State on Nov. 3."

The Grizzlies are getting better, but they need the bigs to show up this week. If they do, Montana has a chance to distingush themselves from a lot of the Big Sky.

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Montana Falls to Colorado State 64-58

I made the trek up to Ft. Collins on Friday night to watch Montana take on Colorado State, and was treated to a defensive slugfest. The Grizzlies shot 41% from the field, the Rams shot 40%, and neither team was in sync offensively (no doubt with help from the opposing defenses). Here are some of the notes from the game that I jotted down.

- The biggest factor in the game was the huge rebounding disparity. CSU outrebounded the Griz 43-24, including 11 offensive rebounds to 3. The biggest of the game was with about 35 seconds left. CSU was up 3 with the ball, and the shot clock was winding down. They had to force a shot, and because of a switch Will Cherry was stuck trying to box out Pierce Hornung (who finished with 12 rebounds), and Hornung rebounded the miss, and that was essentially the ballgame. At the end of the ballgame, the Griz lineup looked like: Cherry-Stockton-Jamar-Steward-Weisner.

- Of the big guys we talked about stepping in, Mathias Ward probably had the best game. He was 4/5 from the field and displayed good range on his jumpshot out to 18 feet. However, I suspect he was on the bench in crunch time because he only had 1 rebound in 20 minutes. Eric Hutchison was solid defensively in his 22 minutes of action, with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He is not very skilled offensively, but he did use his body well to get a couple easy buckets. Billy Reader his a nice jump hook on the block early in the first half, but then essentially disappeared the rest of the game. He strangely is not appearing the box score that I got, but he definitely played (trust me!). He was simply not a factor.

- Will Cherry definitely still is inconsistent on his jump shot, which I thought was the biggest thing he needed to work on. He was 1/5 from beyond the arc, and all were good looks. He did hit a big 3 midway through the 2nd half, but missed an open one with the Griz down 59-56 with 2 minutes to play. He struggled a bit with his midrange jumper as well, as he missed a couple of good looks. I suspect that will come in time. He played almost the whole game and drew a tough defensive assignment, so I'm not sure if fatigue was a factor at all. He was assertive at the end of the game, and got to the foul line a couple times late to keep the game tight. I believe his first rest came with about 10 minutes left to play in the second half, and his absence was felt immediately. With Montana down 48-39, he sat on the bench and Montana immediately turned it over before they even got in their set. On the other end, Jesse Carr hit an open 3, and all of a sudden it was 51-39.

- Art Steward and Kareem Jamar were both plagued with first half foul trouble, and that was a big factor. Montana struggled to get good looks without them in there, and the lack of Derek Selvig was definitely felt. They weren't able to get open shots, and it didn't seem like anyone other than Cherry was able to get a shot for himself or for a teammate. It almost seemed at times like the offense was running through Shawn Stockton.

- Kareem Jamar played an excellent second half, and he is a guy that can create shots. He is athletic, and good range on his jumper, and gets down low and battles for rebounds. They also effectively got him the ball on the block, and he showed an ability to score on smaller defenders down there. He was the best on the team last night at getting his own shot. He finished 5/10 with 12 points, and also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

- Two guys hit big 3s. With Montana down 30-20, Michael Weisner hit a big 3 to make it 30-23 going into the break, which had to be a nice lift (CSU coach Tim Miles said after the game... "33 hit a big shot at the end of the half... I don't even know his name"). Near the end of the game, Art Steward his a huge 3 to cut the lead to 58-56, and it looked like the Griz had momentum. Unfortunately, Wes Eikmeier responded with an NBA range 3 on the next possession, and Montana would never cut it to 2 again.

- Of the freshman, Kevin Henderson was the first to see action. He played two minutes but had little to no impact. Jordan Gregory played 6 minutes but also was unable to provide any type of spark. Keron DeShields did not play, but he was the guy that is always trying to sit closer to the coach on the bench to get noticed. It didn't work in this game, but I liked his attitude!

- The above photo of Coach Tinkle in the huddle talking to the guys was snapped by my lovely wife! Selvig was off to the left in the black sweatsuit. He was walking gingerly but his limp from the sprain was not too bad.

All in all, it is a disappointing loss but not a bad loss. I think it is definitely a game Montana thinks they could have won, but they were definitely impacted by the loss of Selvig, both in rebounding and in creating some shots for teammates. Miles said that Montana, "Came in a man down and really did a great job," but the Griz won't be taking a moral victory here. They had a chance to win a game on the road against a quality opponent and just came up a little bit short.

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Billy Hutchinson Will Start If Derek Selvig Can't Play

We took a look at what Montana's frontcourt looks like without Derek Selvig, and now there is an article from Montana Kaimin that confirms that Eric Hutchinson would get the start against Colorado State if Derek Selvig can't play.

"We're bringing him on the trip," Tinkle said. "I know it's probably unlikely he'll play, but I'm not ruling it out. If he's not ready, he's not ready. We're not going to make him play injured."

If the 7-foot, 230-pound Selvig is unable to play, Tinkle said it is likely 6-foot-9, 230-pound sophomore Eric Hutchison would start in his place.

It is a little interesting, as I thought Billy Reader would have gotten the start, since he played more minutes in their exhibition game, but Tinkle must have liked the strong rebounding ability of Hutchinson. Either way, Reader will certainly get a lot of minutes.

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